Western Character Actor Harry Carey Jr. Dies at 91

By TV Guide

Gridley Herald - Gridley, CA

By TV Guide

Posted Dec. 29, 2012 at 3:55 PM

By TV Guide
Posted Dec. 29, 2012 at 3:55 PM

Harry Carey Jr., a character actor who made in mark in a number of John Ford Westerns, has died, according to Variety. He was 91. Carey's daughter Melinda said the actor died natural causes Thursday at a hospice surrounded by family. "He went out as gracefully as he came in," she said.See other celebrities we've lost this yearThroughout his-five decade career, Carey made over 100 films. He was the last surviving member of Ford's iconic western stock company and appeared in several of the director's films, including She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Searchers and The Long Gray Line. He also appeared in Gremlins, Tombstoneand Back to the Future III in later years."My journey has been that of a character actor," Carey wrote in his 1994 memoir, Company of Heroes: My Life as an Actor in the John Ford Stock Company. "I've worked with the great and the not-so-great. But mostly I've worked with men and women who loved their profession, and who like me, had kids to raise and houses to pay for."Best Shows of 2012: Users' picksBorn on May 16, 1921 to silent-film Western star Harry Carey, Sr. and actress Olive Carey, Carey grew up on a ranch before serving in the Navy during World War II. The actor is survived by his wife, a son, two daughters, three grandchildren and two-great-grandchildren.